It did happen - I mean, what the rest of us expected to happen happened.

thomas35forever

10-04-2013, 12:09 PM

Good luck heading another club to a playoff, but not championship season.

happydude

10-04-2013, 12:12 PM

I'm very surprised. It's hard to criticize a manager of any team not named Yankees or Red Sox who leads a team to the playoffs 3 out of 4 years but I guess they quickly grew tired of the annual first round exit.

Boondock Saint

10-04-2013, 12:20 PM

I'm very surprised. It's hard to criticize a manager of any team not named Yankees or Red Sox who leads a team to the playoffs 3 out of 4 years but I guess they quickly grew tired of the annual first round exit.

It's the third team that Dusty's been almost good enough with. People have to be wondering if he can manage a team to a championship. I don't hate the move, personally. That team's got talent, if they can find the right manager, along with one or two more players, they might be able to get over that hump.

PaleHoser

10-04-2013, 12:25 PM

Only manager to lead three different franchises within one game of closing out a playoff series with multiple game series leads, but fail to advance:

2002 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2002_WS.shtml) Giants led Angels in World Series 3 games to 2. Six outs away from World Series championship with a two run lead in Game 6.
2003 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2003_NLCS.shtml) Cubs led Marlins in NLCS 3 games to 1.
2011 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2012_NLDS2.shtml) Reds led Giants in NLDS 2 games to 0.
And don't forget the Giants winning 103 games in 1993 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/1993.shtml), and still finishing one game behind the Braves.

Man, do the baseball gods have it in for him.

amsteel

10-04-2013, 12:38 PM

He's 1-9 in his last 10 potential series winning games.

happydude

10-04-2013, 12:54 PM

It's the third team that Dusty's been almost good enough with. People have to be wondering if he can manage a team to a championship. I don't hate the move, personally. That team's got talent, if they can find the right manager, along with one or two more players, they might be able to get over that hump.

As I said, I'm surprised. But not necessarily in a negative way. I think its a bold move; most teams would choose to maintain the status quo given the many years of futility that preceded his arrival.

But as you suggest, they've managed to assemble a good collection of young talent and have big plans going forward. It's definitely a no-confidence vote.

Bucky F. Dent

10-04-2013, 02:59 PM

if they can find the right manager, along with one or two more players, they might be able to get over that hump.

Bobby Valentine

doublem23

10-04-2013, 03:06 PM

Not going to lie, I'd take him over Ventura

Zakath

10-04-2013, 03:32 PM

Takes over a team that hadn't had a winning record since 2000, and makes the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. :scratch:

And yet Gardenhire gets an extension when he hasn't won more than 66 games in a season since 2010.

Tragg

10-04-2013, 03:41 PM

He's one of those "speed should lead off, obp isn't important" types. Not what this organization needs. (although we have one of those ourselves).

DSpivack

10-04-2013, 03:50 PM

Not going to lie, I'd take him over Ventura

Takes over a team that hadn't had a winning record since 2000, and makes the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. :scratch:

And yet Gardenhire gets an extension when he hasn't won more than 66 games in a season since 2010.

I think Gardenhire might be the better manager. It's not his fault the Twins roster sucks. And Dusty isn't the GM of the Reds. One team has a loaded roster with a $107 million payroll this season, the other was the Twins. That said, perhaps they're quite similar, as Gardenhire's Twins teams could never get over the hump and have much playoff success.

Perhaps Baker is the Marty Schottenheimer of MLB, as I heard the comparison on radio this morning. Or Doug Collins or Buck Showalter.

amsteel

10-04-2013, 06:06 PM

Not going to lie, I'd take him over Ventura

He's got experience but lacks a grasp of on base percentage. It's a wash.

Tragg

10-04-2013, 06:42 PM

He's got experience but lacks a grasp of on base percentage. It's a wash.

our current manager lacks both. I'd prefer a guy who has both.

HomeFish

10-04-2013, 08:19 PM

There's supposedly a lot of animosity behind the scenes...not sure if it's just between Dusty and his GM, or between Dusty and his players too.

Would you rather manage the Reds or the Nationals in 2014?

ChicagoG19

10-04-2013, 09:15 PM

I think Gardenhire might be the better manager. It's not his fault the Twins roster sucks. And Dusty isn't the GM of the Reds. One team has a loaded roster with a $107 million payroll this season, the other was the Twins. That said, perhaps they're quite similar, as Gardenhire's Twins teams could never get over the hump and have much playoff success.

Perhaps Baker is the Marty Schottenheimer of MLB, as I heard the comparison on radio this morning. Or Doug Collins or Buck Showalter.

Gardenhire is not much better. He's similar to Dusty in that he gets his team to the playoffs, but then doesn't do much else. Weren't the Twins swept out of the playoffs four years in a row?

DSpivack

10-04-2013, 09:17 PM

Gardenhire is not much better. He's similar to Dusty in that he gets his team to the playoffs, but then doesn't do much else. Weren't the Twins swept out of the playoffs four years in a row?

Since their 2002 ALCS loss (in 5 games), they have won 2 ALDS games in 5 series. And one Game 163 loss. :cool:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/

TheVulture

10-04-2013, 09:44 PM

He's one of those "speed should lead off, obp isn't important" types. Not what this organization needs. (although we have one of those ourselves).

Isn't he the guy who elected to bat Joey Votto second so he'd have the guy with the highest OBP get 20 more at bats?

mrfourni

10-04-2013, 09:47 PM

Takes over a team that hadn't had a winning record since 2000, and makes the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. :scratch:

And yet Gardenhire gets an extension when he hasn't won more than 66 games in a season since 2010.

Is jocketty still the gm in cincy? If so, I'd trust his judgement in personnel decisions.

Is larussa for sure retired?

Mohoney

10-05-2013, 09:31 AM

Not going to lie, I'd take him over Ventura

If all things were equal, absolutely, but not in this situation, at this time, with this team. It would just be a waste of money to pay a high-profile manager for this kind of rebuild. It would be like Lou Piniella's stint in Tampa Bay.

WLL1855

10-05-2013, 01:56 PM

Is jocketty still the gm in cincy? If so, I'd trust his judgement in personnel decisions.

Is larussa for sure retired?

Now this is an interesting thought.

Irishsox1

10-08-2013, 11:39 AM

He's got experience but lacks a grasp of on base percentage. It's a wash.

Ventura is way in over his head. At best Ventura is a bench coach. Dusty Baker has taken 3 different teams to the playoffs.

I don't like Dusty's personality and he must be a pain because winning teams have no problem dumping him but his teams win a lot of games. His teams choke in the playoffs, the same was said about LaRussa until he won the 2006 World Series.

I would take Dusty but he wouldn't want to take the Sox. The Sox have a serious talent issue that at best won't be addressed for 3 years.

slavko

10-08-2013, 03:41 PM

Now this is an interesting thought.

Forget it. Doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding.

Mohoney

10-08-2013, 08:50 PM

Forget it. Doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding.

I took that to mean that LaRussa might end up in Cincinnati next year.

Lemon44

10-08-2013, 09:20 PM

Ok, I know we're all Sox fans, but remember how the Cubs flamed out in 2004? Players screaming at reporters, yelling at fans and blaming the broadcasters? That's the Dusty Baker Way. When the going gets tough, the media caused it.

And then there's his love of the sacrifice bunt.

If Dusty becomes the Sox manager, I'm pretty shure Steve Stone would quit. My second prediction is that TLaR has called it a career.